This cavernous, 100-liter top-loader manages monster loads without any superfluous weight. It easily swallowed all of my gear and food for a 12-day gig on the PCT, and stability proved top-notch, even when I was scrambling and bushwhacking.

Credit the plastic framesheet with aluminum perimeter rod and center stay, which attaches firmly to the stiffened hipbelt and provides excellent load transfer, even when I schlepped 65 pounds—more than half my body weight! And after a few days, the hipbelt’s memory-foam padding molded to my curves for customlike comfort.